How to move a timeline between Final Cut, Premiere and others

Moving an edit between editors works through exchange files rather than project files. Video by Zaweba exports and imports timelines as OpenTimelineIO (.otio), Final Cut Pro 7 XML, FCPXML, CMX 3600 EDL and AAF. Export the timeline in the format the other editor reads, send it with the media, and the other side rebuilds the cut. Going the other way, an imported timeline opens in a new tab.

No two editors save projects the same way, so an editor's own project file is almost never readable elsewhere. Exchange formats describe the edit itself: which file, which part of it, where on the timeline and on which track. That is enough to carry a cut from one program to another.

Which format to use

FCPXML is Final Cut Pro's modern exchange format, so use it when the other side is on a current version of Final Cut. Final Cut Pro 7 XML is older, but many editors, Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve among them, still read it, which makes it a common choice for Premiere. AAF is the usual way into Avid Media Composer and many sound studios. CMX 3600 EDL is the oldest and simplest: it carries cuts and basic transitions on a limited number of tracks, but nearly everything can read it, which makes it a dependable fallback. OpenTimelineIO is a newer open format designed for exactly this job and is read by a growing list of tools.

If you are not sure, ask what the other side can import. The right format is the one they can open cleanly.

Sending an edit out

Finish the cut and tidy the timeline. Remove clips you switched off but don't need, and give tracks sensible names.

Export the timeline in the chosen format. The file describes the edit, not the footage, so the receiving editor also needs the media.

Gather the media. File > Project manager can collect everything a project uses into one place, or trim it to the parts you used with handles, so you send less. It can transcode to ProRes 422 HQ or DNxHR HQ as well, which suits editors that prefer those codecs. For an Avid handover, File > Export a media log for Avid writes an .ale.

Send the timeline file and the media folder together, and let the other editor relink to them.

Bringing an edit in

Import the .otio, XML, FCPXML, EDL or AAF. The timeline appears as a new tab above the timeline, so it doesn't disturb anything you already have.

Any files Video by Zaweba can't find come in as offline. Use File > Relink to point at the folder that holds them; it searches by file name.

Check the cut against a reference. A simple export from the original editor, played beside your imported timeline, is the quickest way to spot anything that came across differently.

What travels and what doesn't

Cuts, clip order, track layout and basic transitions are what exchange formats carry best. Effects, colour grades, titles and complex sound work are each program's own business, and usually need to be redone or rendered into the footage before handing over. Clip > Render and replace renders a picture clip to ProRes 4444 with transparency, which turns a complicated graphic into a plain clip that any editor can use.

OMF, an older sound exchange format, is not built into Video by Zaweba. If a sound studio asks for OMF, ask whether AAF will do, as it often can.

A sensible way to hand over

Lock the picture first. Exchange works best when the edit is settled and the other person is doing a different job, such as grading or a sound mix, rather than when two people are still cutting the same scenes.

Video by Zaweba is free software that runs offline on Windows, so you can take part in a mixed-editor workflow without buying a seat of anything.